


April Showers Bring May Flowers - On Hiatus While I Re-Write and Deal With Life

by GreaserGirl



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bombs, Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fire, Hurt, Hurt May Parker (Spider-Man), Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Protective Tony Stark, Revenge, Worried Tony Stark, kidnapped May parker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-04-24 08:56:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19169950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreaserGirl/pseuds/GreaserGirl
Summary: A year after the incident with the Vulture, Peter learns that his actions have consequences, ones that will cost him everything he ever loved.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first attempt in a long time at writing a fanfic so I apologize if it isn't very good. I'm writing it as if the scene at the end of Homecoming where May sees Peter in his suit didn't happen. Anyways, please be nice. I'll try to update it as often as I can as I plan on this being my first multi-chapter fanfiction as well but I can't make any promises as to how much I'll actually be able to do. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Oh, also you should know in this universe Thor Ragnarok never happened because fuck that shit with Jane dumping Thor after he left Asgard just to be with her.

 

  Peter Parker sighed as he trudged through the rain, wishing he had an umbrella instead of just his thin hoodie. It was a Friday and he'd forgotten his umbrella in his excitement because Fridays were the start of the weekend, which meant he got to go work in the lab with Mr. Stark as well as train, although he was mostly excited just to get to spend time with his mentor and childhood hero.  It had been raining a lot lately, which wasn't unusual given it was nearing the end of April, but it had made going out on patrols that much more difficult, and Peter hated it. Ever since May had almost caught him trying on the suit after Tony Stark had given it back, Peter had made it his routine to go straight to the apartment after school every day except Friday, so that he could make sure she wasn't there before starting his patrols, which by itself made them shorter without him having to go home early so he could dry off and avoid getting sick or having to explain to his aunt why he was soaking wet if he'd been in the apartment all day. Normally Happy would have been picking him up, but Tony had texted Peter that he'd have Happy pick him up on Saturday because he was stuck in meetings all day, which left Peter walking home with nothing but his hoodie to protect him from the rain. That's another thing that had changed after the Vulture incident. Tony now texted Peter himself about stuff because he had felt like he needed to be a bit more hands-on in Peter's training and his life.

   "May! I'm home!" he called as he opened the door to his apartment. There was no response, and Peter smiled at the thought that he'd get to go on patrols early knowing his aunt was probably already at work.

  As soon as he set foot in the apartment however, he felt a chill race all over his body and froze, tensing up as his spidey senses tingled. He looked around the place carefully, his guard up as he searched for the threat that was setting them off, but he didn't seem to find anything that was off. He thought it was strange, since he was sure he had felt that tingle of danger, but chalked it up to him being cold from the rain and headed straight for his room so he could get changed and go on patrol. His hand was hovering over the knob on his door when he realized what was off about the apartment. The stove was still on, and there was a pot set up as if someone had been getting ready to cook, and their small TV was sitting on in the living room as well. May never would've left the apartment like that, especially since it was a waste of both their electricity and their gas bills. Peter quickly walked over and turned off the stove, frowning as he pulled an earbud out. Maybe he just hadn't heard her response? But if that was the case, why hadn't she come out to say hi? She wasn't in their small bathroom, and May always greeted him when he came home from school. 

  "May! Are you here?" he called again, raising his voice in case she hadn't heard him. 

  He waited a few moments...nothing. The chill ran up his spine once more, and now he was  _sure_ that something was wrong. "MAY!" he called as he rushed through their apartment, checking each room for his aunt. Finally his room was the only one left, and he rushed to open it, hoping against all hope that for some strange reason May was in there and just hadn't heard him. He opened the door, his eyes searching his small room in desperation, his heart pounding as he realized she wasn't there.  _No no no no no no. This can't be happening!_ he thought, pulling out his cellphone and calling hers, hoping that maybe she'd just left the apartment and he was freaking out for no reason. It rang once, twice, three times....wait, he shouldn't be hearing that ring. He gulped as he walked out of his room and into the kitchen, his hands shaking as he saw his aunt's cellphone sitting on the kitchen counter, right next to her keys, as if she had just been getting ready to leave. His heart was pounding a mile a minute as he ended the call, and then he saw it. A note, sitting on the counter, right next to a photo of a terrified-looking woman being shoved into a van by two masked men. He slowly walked over to where they were, his phone nearly dropping out of his hands as he read the note, his throat going dry as he realized who the woman in the photo was. "May..." he whispered, the words on the note staring at him in big, black, bold lettering. " **I KNOW WHO YOU ARE, SPIDER-MAN** ". Peter froze up all over again, his backpack falling to the floor next to him as panic seized him, filling up every part of his mind as he fell back against the table.  _What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?_ he thought, desperate and afraid as he stared at the picture of his aunt, his eyes filling with tears at he look of pure terror on her face. He couldn't call the police, it would give away his identity, and he couldn't go after the kidnappers himself, he didn't even know who they were or how they'd found out about him.  _Mr. Stark._  he thought,  _Mr. Stark will help. He'll know what to do. I have to go find him._  He quickly grabbed his backpack, shoving his phone inside along with the picture and note barely remembering to put on his mask before he jumped out the window to his apartment and began swinging across New York, desperate to get to the one person he knew would help him find his aunt. 

 

* * *

   Tony Stark sighed as he sat and listened to the man drone on and on in his last meeting of the day, wishing it would hurry up and end. He'd been stuck in meetings all day, and because of that he'd had to give up time in the lab with his protege Peter. It had only been a year since he'd met Peter, and although the kid had let him down when he tried to take on the Vulture alone and nearly gotten a ferry full of people killed, he found himself strangely drawn to the kid. At first he'd gone after him because he needed someone on his team to give him an advantage over his former friend and teammate Captain America, but after the kid had turned down joining the Avengers to look out for the little guy, he noticed that he no longer felt that way about the kid and he honestly wanted to help train him. Which is why every weekend since the incident with the Vulture, Tony invited Peter to join him in the lab at the compound and stay there so that they could work as well as train. 

  He still remembers the first time he'd shown Peter the lab, he'd thought the kid's eyes were gonna fall out of his head with how wide they were. Peter was a really smart kid too, he learned things surprisingly fast, even for a kid going to an advanced school like Midtown. The more time Tony spent with Peter, the more he'd found himself starting to care, until he'd ended up giving the kid his personal number and told him he could call or text whenever he needed help. At first the kid had been too shy to text him at all, even when he actually needed help if he got injured on patrol, but after Peter had just dropped in the middle of lab one night after getting a concussion while on patrol, Tony started texting the kid himself just to ask about his day in the hopes of encouraging Peter to actually tell him things. His plan worked and while at first he was doing it just to get the kid to let him know he needed help, he eventually found himself actually caring about the things Peter told him and wanting to know more about his day.

  He thought about all these things as he sat in the meeting, drumming his fingers across his knee knee as he tried to listen to the person in charge of the meeting talk about what they were there to discuss, fighting back the urge to yawn at the monotony of the guy's voice. He was already having a hard enough time concentrating when his phone went off, distracting him entirely as he checked to see who it was.  _Peter._ he thought, sighing as he saw the notification that the kid had sent a message. He quickly put the phone away, thinking the kid was just texting to talk about school as usual, and tried his best to focus on the meeting again, his jaw clenching as his phone went off once more about a minute later.  _Didn't I tell that kid I had an important meeting?_ he thought. Normally he wouldn't be so irritated by this, but after sitting through meetings all day, he was feeling on edge both from the exhaustion and boredom. Every time he received a notification, his teeth clenched in irritation. His phone was buzzing almost non-stop for about ten minutes before he finally got fed up and turned it off. Luckily the meeting was over in another half an hour, and Tony eagerly made his escape. He had just reached the lobby when he saw a figure swing their way onto the balcony just outside the lounge area of the compound. "Fri, take me up to the lounge, would ya?" he sighed as he stepped into the elevator.  _I don't know what's going on with that kid, but he better have a good explanation for this._ he thought as the elevator began to move. 

  He had planned on giving Peter a good talking to about swinging over in the rain when he knew that Tony was busy with meetings, but his plans changed the minute he stepped out of the elevator and set eyes on Peter. The kid was soaking wet and dripping water all over the floor, his whole body shaking so hard it was a wonder he could even remain standing, his eyes were filled with fear and pain, and Tony could tell he'd been crying. His breathing was harsh and quick, and it was obvious he was having a panic attack. Tony was so shocked, he just found himself standing there, staring at the terrified teenager in front of him who was staring back, looking exactly like a drowned rat. 

  "Mister Stark! Please, help me! You have to help me! They took her! Someone took her and I don't know what to do! They found out who I am and now she's in trouble and it's all my fault and I don't know how they found out but I came home and she was gone and I thought she was at work but then I found the note and this picture and oh God Mister Stark she doesn't even know why they took her and she's terrified and please I need your help, please!" Peter begged, speaking faster than Tony had ever heard him before. 

  It was his begging that finally broke the trance Tony had been stuck in, and he quickly rushed into action. "Whoa, hey, easy, easy kid!" he called, raising his hands placatingly in an attempt to calm the kid as he slowly walked over. 

  "Sir, it appears Peter Parker is having a panic attack, his heart rate and blood pressure levels are elevated and his breathing is highly irregular. He also appears to be suffering from mild hypothermia. I highly recommend calming him down as soon as possible, his body won't be able to handle much more stress." Friday informed Tony. 

  "Got it." Tony said, his eyes still on the trembling teenager standing before him. "Pete, I need you to calm down, alright buddy?" he called, keep his voice calm and steady as he slowly continued walking over. "I wanna help you, but I can't understand you when you talk so fast, so I need you to slow it down for me, alright?" Tony was so focused on Peter, he didn't notice when Natasha and Rhodey came walking in the room, both of staring in shock at the young kid standing in the lounge. 

  "They took her! She's all I have, I can't lose her Mister Stark, please! I don't know what happened, I don't know how they found out, but they did and now she's gone! I have to find her!" Peter begged. He was talking slower now, but Tony was still confused. 

  "Who's 'they' Peter?" Tony asked, finally stopping about a food away from the trembling teen. 

  "I don't know! I don't know I don't know I don't know! It was some guys! They left a note and-and a picture. They-they-they took her Mister Stark! Please, please please please! You have to help me! I can't-I can't breathe-I" Peter was getting even worse now, and Tony could see him starting to sway on his feet. 

  "Hey hey hey!" Tony called, quickly grabbing Peter's arms and holding him up. "Peter, breathe. Just breathe. It's alright, you're safe kid." he whispered, his voice calmer than he felt. It was really starting to freak him out seeing Peter this way, and he was starting to feel guilty about ignoring the text messages he'd been sent. 

  "No! It's not-it's not okay! I don't-she's not safe! She doesn't even know why they took her! She's gone! She's all I have! They took her!" Peter cried, and Tony froze as he realized what was going on. Someone had been kidnapped. 

  "Who?" he asked, his voice softer than before. "Peter, who did they take? Who's gone?" he repeated, his voice a little louder and more firm than before. 

  "May. They took May! They took her Tony!" Peter sobbed, his voice breaking as he spoke her name. 

  Tony stared at him, his eyes going wide as he finally put everything together. Someone had discovered Peter's secret identity, someone who probably wanted to hurt Peter, and in order to do it they'd taken the only person Peter had left in the world. Natasha and Rhodey were both very concerned now, and they quickly moved into the room. "What's going on Tony? Who's the kid? Who is May?" Rhodey asked. 

  "The kid is Peter Parker, and he's Spider-Man. May is his aunt, the only family he's got left in the world, and some asshole decided to kidnap her after they discovered who he was." Tony explained, his voice hard as he continued keeping his eye on the kid. Peter was still shaking, his eyes filled with fear. He was so far gone, he didn't even notice the other two Avengers in the room. 

  "Please. I-I can't-I can't breathe. Help." Peter gasped, his legs starting to give out beneath him. 

  "Shit, Rhodey!" Tony called, his best friend immediately jumping into action to help with the kid. "Help me get him to the couch." Tony instructed, and together they led the teen over to sit down. "Fri, call Bruce, tell him I need him in the lounge. Let him know it's Peter and tell him what you picked up on your scans." he called to his AI once the teen was settled on the couch. "Peter, I need you to listen to me. It's gonna be alright kid, we're gonna help you find your aunt, I promise, but I need you to calm down first, alright?" he said, turning his attention back to the teen. "Focus on me, alright? Breathe with me kid." he instructed, waiting until Peter slowly nodded before taking a deep breath in and then slowly releasing it. He did this a few times with Peter following his lead until Friday told him that the kid's heart rate and blood pressure had gone down and that he was breathing normally again. "There, that's it kid." Tony whispered, sighing. 

  "I'm sorry Mister Stark...I just...I can't lose her." Peter whispered, holding his head in his hands. 

  "I know kid, you don't have to apologize. I promise you, we'll get her back." Tony said, placing a hand on Peter's shoulder. By the time he'd calmed Peter down, Bruce had shown up and was hurrying over to where they were sitting. 

  "Hey Tony, how's he doin'?" Bruce asked, looking over Peter quickly. 

  "He calmed down, but he's still shaking." Tony informed him and Bruce nodded. 

  "Friday said he has a mild case of hypothermia, that's what's causing him to shake. He needs to get into some dry clothes." Bruce explained. 

  "Alright." Tony said, turning his attention back to Peter. "Think you can walk kid? We gotta get you outta those wet clothes." he told Peter. Peter looked up at his mentor's eyes for a moment, and Tony's heart just about broke at how defeated the kid looked. "Come on." he whispered, slowly standing as the kid did. He placed a hand on Peter's shoulder and led him to the room he'd had built for Peter whenever the kid stayed at the compound. He let the kid go in and get changed on his own, figuring Peter could at least manage that even in the state he was in, and the kid was already looking a little better once he was in some dry clothes. The two of them headed back to the lounge where Tony had Peter sit on the couch again. "Okay kid, think you can tell me everything now?" he asked Peter. 

  "Yeah. I think so." Peter whispered before launching into an explanation. It was short and pretty straight to the point, which would normally have made Tony sigh in relief, but now it only worried him.  _The kid must be terrified. I never thought I'd miss hearing him ramble on and on before getting to the point but right now I'd prefer it over this._ Tony thought as he listened to the kid. As soon as he finished, Peter pulled out the note and the picture, and Tony was filled with white-hot rage at whoever had done this. He wasn't as close to May as he was to Peter, but he knew that she did everything she could to take care of the kid, and the look of pure terror on her face was something he never wanted to see again. 

  "You did good coming here kid. Let's get these down to the lab and see if we can get anything out of them." Tony said, patting Peter on the shoulder. 

 "While you do that, Nat and I will head over to the kid's apartment and see if we can find anything else that might help us find his aunt." Rhodey said. 

  Tony nodded his approval before motioning for Peter to follow him to the elevators so they could head down into the lab and get to work. As they stepped in the elevator, Peter looked up at his mentor, his eyes filled with some small spark of hope. "We'll get her back, won't we?" he asked. 

  "Yeah kid, we'll get her back, and I promise you that the person who took her won't ever see the light of day again." Tony said, and he meant it, no matter how it happened, he'd see to it that this monster never had a chance to hurt the Parkers ever again. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so...ignore my shitty attempts at Tony Stark banter in this. I am not suave, cool, or awesome in any way to be able to come up with something funny or sassy for him to say. I was going to make this a longer chapter but decided against it as my brain was having difficulties coming up with what would be said. Anyways, enjoy! Please leave comments! Give suggestions!

  They had been working in the lab for hours, analyzing both the writing on the note as well as the photo for any clues with no progress when Friday suddenly spoke up. "Incoming transmission Boss." she said. Peter, Tony, and Bruce all stopped working for a moment before Friday spoke again. "It is coming from an unknown location. I can't trace the source." 

  "Put it up Friday." Tony said, knowing it might be from the kidnappers. All three people in the room froze as a Friday broadcast the signal, a video feed popping up on the holograms around them showing a familiar face. 

  "May!" Peter cried, reaching out as if he could pull her from that screen and save her. 

  Peter's aunt was tied to a chair, her wrists and legs bound in a way Peter knew had to be painful for her. She wasn't in the clothes she'd been kidnapped in, her shoes, glasses, and shirt all missing. All she was wearing now were a pair of sweatpants and a sports bra. May's face was filled with fire, and to anyone who didn't know her, she might look pissed off, but Peter did know her, and although she'd put up some sort of facade about being brave, he could see the fear in her eyes. Two men in black clothes and masks entered the room, and suddenly May spoke. "Who are you? What's going on? Where the hell am I?" May demanded. The men said nothing, one of them walking over to attach some sort of collar to May's neck, the other holding her head still as she screamed profanities at them. "I swear to GOD I will kill every one of you!" May spat. 

   _You wouldn't do that. You know you can't._ Peter thought, a small smile coming to his face. His aunt was trying to look brave despite how terrified she was. Now he knew where he'd learned it. His smile instantly disappeared as the men proceeded to undo May's bindings and yank her roughly out of the chair, tying her hands in front of her now as they led her over towards a hook. May immediately began to fight back, despite it obviously being useless. 

  "Now now, Mrs. Parker, you better behave yourself. Don't you have a little boy to think about?" a voice suddenly spoke, though the person didn't appear to be in the same room. 

  May's head shot up at those words, her struggles ceasing at once. "What?" she whispered, her voice barely audible on the video. "No...you...you're bluffing! You don't have him! He was at school!" she cried. "You don't-" she continued, her voice being cut off as another voice suddenly called out, a voice that sent chills down Peter's spine. 

  "May?" Peter's voice called out in the video. 

  "Peter?" May breathed, all traces of defiance suddenly leaving her body. 

  "May, where are you?" Peter's voice called out, but that was impossible, because Peter was safe in the lab. "Hello?" his voice called again, but this time was panicked. 

  "Peter! Peter, baby, I'm right here! Peter!" May cried, tears spilling over her cheeks. 

  "May? Help me! Help me, please! I'm down here!" Peter's voice rang out again, and Peter froze as he recognized those words. 

  "How..how did they get that? No one was there...there was nothing...how do they have these recordings?" Peter whispered, his eyes fixed on his aunt's terrified face. 

  "Peter!" May sobbed as she was hung from the hook, her feet just barely touching the floor. "What the fuck did you do to him? Where's my baby? I swear if you've hurt him, I'll kill every last one of you!" she cried, and the third voice was suddenly heard again, laughter echoing through the room. 

  "Behave yourself and you'll have nothing to worry about." they said. May was silent, and the voice laughed once more. "Good girl. It's a shame really, if you knew what he was doing behind your back, you wouldn't be trying so hard to protect him."

  "What are you talking about?" May asked, and looked like she was about to say something else when a loud  _ **crack**_ split the room, and she cried out in pain. 

  "Sorry Parker, but someone has to pay for their crimes. For tearing a happy family apart. No hard feelings." the voice spoke as the men in black suits took turns mercilessly whipping her exposed back. 

  "NO! MAY!" Peter cried, barely aware of the hand his mentor placed on his shoulder as they continued to watch his aunt be tortured.  The whole time the men were whipping his aunt, Peter was praying silently that she would pass out, that God would have enough mercy to take her out of the pain she was in. His prayers went unanswered, and he continued to watch as his aunt screamed in pain until finally it stopped, May hanging limply from the hook, her body dropping to the floor with a thud as the men roughly took her off the hook. She was so still for a moment, Peter feared she was dead. It wasn't until the men roughly dragged her from the floor and back over to the chair that Peter knew she was alive, her cries of pain continuing as the men bound her once more before leaving the room. Peter thought that her screams were the worst thing he'd ever hear in his life, until she spoke once more. 

  "Peter...please be safe baby. I promise everything will be alright." May whispered. 

  "May." Peter breathed, fighting back tears. As Peter, Bruce, and Tony all stared at the screen, Peter's phone began to ring. Peter answered it, not bothering to check the caller ID. "Hello?" he whispered, his body tensing at the laughter that came out of the phone. It was the same voice from the feed, and Peter could now tell they were using some sort of vocal scrambler to disguise their voice. 

  "Hey Spider-Man, enjoy the show?" the kidnapper hissed. Tony watched Peter's face for any hints as to who he was talking to, quickly tapping one of the screens in the room so that the phone call would be broadcast for them to hear. 

  "What do you want from me?" Peter whispered, trying to keep his voice steady. The kidnapper just laughed once more. 

  "Oh, come on Spidey, don't be rude." they hissed, a threat Peter missed in their voice. 

  It didn't take him long to notice it when his aunt began screaming in pain, her body spasming from the electricity jolting through it. "NO! Stop!" Peter cried, watching in horror as the tormenting of his poor aunt continued. "Stop! Stop it please! You're gonna kill her!" he begged. Finally, after five minutes, the screams stopped, and May's body slumped in the chair, the only sign of life being her quick, painful gasps of breath.

  "I'll ask you again, did you enjoy the show?" the kidnapper hissed, causing Tony's hands to clench into fists as Peter's usually bright, cheerful, determined face turned into one of utter and complete defeat. 

  "No, I didn't." Peter whispered, still fighting to keep his fear from showing. 

  "Good boy. Now, let's get on to business, shall we?" the kidnapper said, chuckling once more. "My request is simple, really, all I want is to meet you in person. Face to face." Peter was about to agree, figuring he and Mr. Stark could come up with a plan to save his aunt before he showed up, when they went on. "Alone, bring the suit, disable the tracker. Can't have that nasty mentor of yours making a surprise appearance, now, can we? I'm sure he's already listening in on our little conversation. Don't bother trying to trace the call, by the way Stark. I made sure my tracks were covered."

  "Yeah, we'll see about that." Tony growled, just loud enough for the kidnapper to hear it. They laughed. 

  "Indeed we will, Mr. Stark. Now, about that meet and greet with Spiderman..." 

  "Not gonna happen." Tony said, having asked Friday to transfer the call into the room after it was clear the kidnapper knew he was there. 

  "Oh?"

  "Yeah, you see, Spidey's not feeling too well today, and his mentor grounded him from giving himself up to bad guys making stupid requests and threatening his aunt." 

  The kidnapper laughed at this, and Peter's body tensed up just seconds before May began screaming again. "Stop! Don't! I'll do it!" Peter cried, letting out a sigh of relief when May's screams stopped. Tony tried to say something but Peter didn't give him a chance. "You want me? You got me. Just tell me where." he said, somehow managing to sound braver than he felt. 

  "I'm going to send an address to your phone. You have twenty-four hours to comply with my requests. That is, if you don't want to end up an orphan." the kidnapper hissed. Peter didn't speak, his eyes glued to his aunt's still figure on the screen. "Oh, and just so you know I'm serious." Peter's eyes went wide and his scream of protest came seconds too late as May began screaming and thrashing around again. "I'll see you soon, Spider-Man." the voice hissed before the call ended abruptly. 

  "May! NO! Stop, please!" Peter begged as the stream continued for several minutes after the call, May's tormented screams of pain echoing in the lab. Finally, it stopped, May's jerking coming to an end. The video feed faded to black, but not before Peter heard his aunt softly calling out his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the crappy banter. I wanted to put out a new chapter and I'm not very witty. I may have made a mistake in trying this but I'll never get better if I just hold all these ideas in my head so...yeah.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the ending seems rushed. I knew how I wanted this chapter to end but I was running low on time and wanted to get the chapter out, so I had to rush that line in. It's still not great but hopefully next chapter is much better.

  Tony and Peter both stood still for a minute after the video ended, the room filled with a heavy silence as the sound of May's cries haunted their minds. Suddenly Peter snapped his head up, grabbing his phone and heading for the exit. Tony followed him, frowning as he just barely managed to slide into the elevator before Peter ordered Friday to take them up to the lounge area. He stood in silence, watching as Peter tapped his foot anxiously, his eyes filled with both fear and determination. As soon as the elevator opened into the lounge area, Peter shot out of it, looking around the room for something. "Uh, Pete? Whatcha' looking for buddy?" Tony asked, still not sure what the kid was planning. 

  "My bag. It's got the suit." Peter said, and Tony knew the kid wasn't thinking straight. Peter wouldn't have told him that directly if he were, because he knew exactly how Tony would respond to that. 

  "I think you left it in your room kid." Tony said, hoping the kid would take the bait. As soon as Peter had told him the bag had the suit, he knew what the kid was planning, and he wasn't going to let that happen. 

  Peter looked up at him for a moment, pausing his search. The bag was actually still in the lounge and would have been easily spotted if Peter wasn't so worked up about his aunt. After a few moments, the kid finally made his way upstairs and down the hall, past Tony's room and straight into his own room. Tony followed him closely, watching as the kid continued his frantic search. "Mr. Stark, I don't see it." Peter said, walking around and carelessly shifting things in his search. "I could've sworn I left it in the....." the kid started and froze, turning to look at Tony, his eyes going wide with realization at the guilty look on Tony's face. "..lounge." Peter breathed, and he was rushing to the door. Tony shut it on him before he had a chance to escape. 

  "Friday, activate the 'The Kid's a Self-Sacrificing Idiot' protocol." Tony ordered as he heard Peter slam into the door. The locks on the door automatically clicked into place, and Tony could hear as the heavy shields slammed themselves shut as well, blocking the windows in Peter's room so he couldn't escape. 

  "Mr. Stark, what are you doing?!" Peter cried from behind the door, and Tony could hear him jiggle the handle, trying desperately to get it open. "Mr. Stark, let me out!" the kid pleaded, a hand slamming against the door. 

  "I can't do that Pete. I'm sorry. It's for your own good." Tony said, his heart breaking as he heard Peter scream and begin pounding his fists on the door. 

  "Let me out! You can't do this Mr. Stark! I have to go save her!" Peter begged, his voice obviously choked up with tears. 

  "May wouldn't want you to do this Peter. You know she wouldn't. I can't let you go kid."

  "I don't care! I don't care what she wants, this is my fault! She doesn't even know why she's there! I have to get her! Please!" Peter continued, stopping his fists as he attempted again to get his mentor to cave, but Tony refused. 

  "I'm sorry Peter." Tony whispered, leaning his head against the door as if he could somehow calm his mentee through it, somehow get him to understand. 

  "Mr. Stark! Please!  _Tony_." Peter pleaded, the use of Tony's actual name causing the man's heart to clench painfully. He knew it was just a ruse though, he knew Peter was just trying to get him to let him out. Suddenly the banging started all over again, and Peter began sobbing and screaming. "Let me out! Let me out now! Don't do this! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" he screeched. "I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" he sobbed, each declaration a knife to Tony's heart, but still the man refused to back down. "They're gonna kill her! You promised me it would be okay! You promised!" Peter begged again, but Tony began walking away, tears filling his own eyes as Peter's cries continued. "No, please. No no no no no!" he heard him sob.

  As soon as he was far enough away that he couldn't hear the boy's cries anymore, he leaned against a wall, slumping to the floor and putting his head in his hands. He stayed that way for a few minutes, not noticing the return of Rhodey and Natasha. "Tony, you alright man?" Rhodes asked, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. 

  "I had to do it. The kid was gonna go with the kidnappers. He was going to give himself up." Tony whispered, sighing as he wiped a hand over his face. 

  "Do what?" Rhodey asked. 

  "'The Kid's A Self-Sacrificing Idiot' protocol." Tony responded. He'd programmed that after the kid had given himself up when the compound was broken into by some new big-time criminal and they were looking for a hostage when they realized Iron Man was in the building. Peter had been in the lobby area with the receptionist who he knew had a husband and two daughters waiting for her at home, and he didn't want her to get hurt. They'd taken him and made a run for it. Tony managed to stop them, but Peter had been injured, prompting May to ban him from visiting for almost a month until Tony managed to convince her that he'd updated the security and protocols to prevent it from happening again. 

  "The what?" Rhodey asked, confused. 

  "I put it in place in case something happened that might make the kid do something stupid that could get himself hurt or killed. Happened after that guy broke in and when he failed to steal some tech, he decided to go for a hostage to get away. Pete gave himself up to protect the receptionist, nearly got himself killed." Tony explained. When Rhodey still didn't seem to get what this meant Tony sighed. "I locked him in his room."

  "Oh." Rhodey said. Bruce had updated him and Nat on what was going on when they returned, and now he understood why Tony looked so upset. "I guess the kid wasn't too happy about it, huh?" Tony shook his head. "What are you going to do now?" 

  Tony sighed, staring at the flip phone sitting on the ground next to him for a moment. "We aren't gonna be able to do this on our own." he stated, letting out another sigh. He stood up, phone in hand, flipping it open and hitting the one contact listed in the phone. His thumb hovered over the call button for a moment, hesitating. He glanced down the hall, remembering the look on Peter's face as he watched his aunt suffer just because some sick bastard had wanted to hurt Peter. He took a deep breath, his decision made, and hit the call button. The phone rang for a few moments before a familiar voice answered. 

  "Tony?" 

  "Steve, I need your help." 

 

* * *

 

  Peter cried and screamed for an hour after Tony left him, stopping only when he realized his mentor was gone and his begging was useless. He knew Tony just wanted to protect him, but he hated that his aunt might have to pay the price for it. He was sitting in a corner, curled up with his knees pulled to his chest and his head buried in his arms, when his phone buzzed with a message. Peter picked it up, glancing at the screen and seeing that it was from the kidnapper. The address was listed. It was frustrating to him that he was trapped in the room. He was Spider-Man, he could handle himself, and he was sure he'd be able to escape if his aunt's kidnappers decided to keep him. All they'd said was they wanted to meet him, they didn't say why.  _If only there was a way for me to get into the security system, I could deactivate this stupid protocol and get out of here._ he thought.  _That's impossible though. I don't have the ability to hack into stuff like Ned can._ Suddenly he perked up, smacking himself in the head as he realized he had a shot now. He picked up his phone and began typing furiously. 

  Peter:

   **Yo, guy-in-the-chair, you up?**

  It took a few minutes, and Peter was about to try calling when he got a response. 

  Guy-In-The-Chair:

  **Yeah. What's up? Need some help patrolling?**

Peter:

   **Actually, I was wondering if you could do me a favor. Remember how you hacked into my suit last year and helped me get rid of that tracker?**

Guy-In-The-Chair: 

   **Yeah, dude, that was awesome! I mean, it still wasn't a good idea, but I can't believe I managed to hack into a suit given to you by Tony Stark! I gotta be some kind of          genius or something.**

Peter:

   **Yeah, you sure are! But anyways, about that favor....do you think you could hack into the Avengers Compound security system at the compound and disable the camera      in my room? Or at least set it on a loop?**

  Guy-In-The-Chair:

   **You have a room at the Avengers Compound?!! DUDE! That is so AWESOME!! But wait, why do you need me to do that? I mean, I can do it, but why?**

Peter:

   **I don't really have time to explain everything, but Mr. Stark locked me in my room and I gotta get out. I can't do that if he's watching me. I promise, I'll explain everythin    to you later. Just, please. It's really important.**

Guy-In-The-Chair:

   **I'm not sure Peter. This doesn't sound like a good idea. But if you say it's important, I trust you. I need you to go sit somewhere the camera can see you and stay there,      maybe pretend you're asleep so I can loop the video. I'll text you when you're good.**

Peter:

   **Thanks Ned, you're the best!**

Guy-In-The-Chair:

   **That's why I'm your Guy-in-the-Chair!**

Peter smiled at the last text from Ned, sighing in relief as he slowly stood up and stretched his muscles out. He started pacing around the room for a bit, glancing up at the camera occasionally as he did so. He finally settled on sitting down against a wall, resting his head in his arms as he tucked his knees to his chest, making sure he looked as miserable as possible. It took ten minutes after that before he got a new text. 

  Guy-In-The-Chair:

   **Alright Peter, I got in. I've set up the loop. You should be good to go. Whatever's going on, please be careful, okay dude? I don't want to have to start looking for a new      best friend. I've already got the best friend I could ever ask for.**

Peter smiled at Ned's text and shot him a quick response saying thanks and promising to be careful. As soon as he did that, he crawled up the wall until he reached the large vent. He knew Tony probably had his suit with him, but he remembered where that new suit was, and he managed to crawl through the vents and into the room it was stored in. He knew Friday might be able to tell he was in there, but he had that covered. He had just enough knowledge of programming to set up an app on his phone that would scramble the security in the room and prevent the AI from telling Tony he'd left his room. As soon as he turned on the app, he raced for the suit, grabbing the untested nanotech activator and attaching it to his shirt. He couldn't help but be impressed as the nanites enveloped him, the suit quickly spreading out across his body until the suit was formed, including a mask.  _Smells like a new car._ he thought, but didn't waste any more time than that before grabbing his phone and swinging out the window. He knew Mr. Stark was gonna be mad at him, but he didn't care. The only thing he could think about was getting to May. 

   _Hang on Aunt May. I'm coming. I promise, I won't let you down! Just please, don't die!_  

 

* * *

 

  

  Tony was pacing the conference room as he waited for the Rogue Avengers to show up. He wasn't comfortable with them meeting him, but if it meant saving Peter's aunt, then he was willing to put his own feelings aside. It only took them a half-hour to arrive, and there was tension in the room as they walked in. Well, except for Vision, who simply phased through the walls. "Vision. Good to see you again. So, that's where you've been, eh?" he said, a hint of betrayal in his voice. Vision didn't respond, simply hanging his head in guilt. Tony watched warily as the other Rogues filed in, his eyes resting on Cap as he walked in behind the others. 

  "It's good to see you guys." Rhodey said as the others filed in. 

  "Good to see you too, War Machine. I'm sorry about what happened." Sam Wilson, AKA Falcon, responded. 

  "Don't worry about it. Apparently it wasn't your fault. Besides, I'm still in one piece." Rhodey responded. 

  "That's good to know." Sam replied. 

  "Hey Clint, long time no see." Nat called. 

  "Hey Nat. How ya been?" Clint asked. "Double-crossed any crazy kings lately?" 

  "Technically, I didn't double cross him. I said I'd help them find you, never said I'd help catch you." Nat responded, a smirk on her face. Clint just chuckled. 

  Tony began growing impatient, clearing his throat and gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "Yeah, great. You've all missed each other. Are you done now? Hm? Yes? Good, because i don't have time for a reunion." he snarked. Rhodey gave him a look that would normally get him to back off, but he ignored it. "Don't look at me like that Rhodes. Lives are at stake here!" Tony snapped. 

  "Who is May?" Wanda asked, surprising Tony. 

  "How did-are you in my head right now?" Tony demanded. 

  "I'm sorry Stark, I didn't mean to intrude. I sensed Spider-Man's presence when I walked in, sensed his despair. There's so much emotion coming from him, it was painful. I was simply trying to stop the feeling. I accidentally stumbled into your head." she explained. Tony stared at her for a moment, and suddenly Wanda could see everything. All the times Tony and Peter had spent together in his lab, the times the boy had been injured enough to require medical treatment, how much Tony had come to consider Peter a son. Wanda couldn't help the sudden affection she felt for the boy, feeling a bond between them begin as she saw Peter tell Tony about his parents and his uncle, how he was in a situation so similar to hers. "I can see why you're so upset." she whispered. 

  "Get out of my head." Tony growled. 

  "I'm sorry." she said. 

  Tony sighed, shaking his head. "Well, I guess you know everything about him now, huh?" he said, running a hand over his face when she nodded. "Great. Guess I better explain things to the rest of you." The others looked at him, waiting for him to tell them the situation. "Let me give you a brief history about a brilliant kid from Queens, by day he's just your average genius, Peter Parker. By night, he's Queens' favorite web slinging vigilante, Spider-Man." 

  It took Tony another half hour to tell the team everything about Peter, minus a few things he kept between himself and the kid. By the time he finished, everyone in the room was clearly enamored with the boy, and Tony knew they wouldn't hesitate to help him save May. It took him another twenty minutes to give them a rundown on the situation, and he could see the fury in everyone's eyes at what Peter was going through. He showed them the video of what had happened to May, along with the recording of the conversation they'd had with the kidnapper. Bruce had to leave the room again to prevent the big guy from showing up, the knife Nat had been playing with during Tony's history of Peter Parker was now embedded in the table, Wanda's eyes were red with rage, and Clint was muttering curse words under his breath. When the video ended, Tony explained that he'd had to lock Peter in his room to keep him from trying to give himself up for his aunt. 

  "Damn, that kid is a hell of a lot stronger than any of us thought." Sam whispered, shaking his head. "To go through all he has, and now this? How's he do it?" 

  "He's got heart. Knew it from the moment I met him." Steve said, shaking his head. "So, you got a plan, Stark? Any idea on how to get the kid's aunt back?" 

  "I was thinking-" Tony started, then stopped abruptly. He'd been checking on Peter using the feed from the camera in his room since he'd called the Rogues, but now he realized that something was wrong. It looked like the kid was disappearing for a brief moment every few minutes. "Fri, where's Peter?" he called up. 

  "Peter Parker hasn't moved from the spot in his room according to my cameras Boss, however there seems to be an issue with my scans." 

  "What issue?" Tony asked. 

  "Scans indicate that the only heat sources in the compound are you and the Rogues, Sir. My sensors also indicate the 'Iron Spider' suit is missing." 

  "Shit!" Tony swore, racing out of the room. The rest of the Avengers followed him as he raced up the stairs, choosing to forgo the elevator as that seemed too slow.  _Please kid, be in your room. Don't be gone._ he thought, sliding to a stop as he reached the room he'd had made for Peter. He banged on the door, hoping Friday's scanners were just on the fritz. "Pete, are you in there?" he called. No response. "Fri, open the door." 

  As soon as he heard the locking mechanism disengage, Tony burst through the door, his eyes frantically searching the room for any sign of the teenager. He froze when they landed on the grate from the ceiling vent, his eyes moving up. "No. No no no. Peter." he breathed, swearing once more. Steve was standing next to him, his arms crossed over his chest. "He went alone. He wasn't...I can't....damn it!" 

  "What do you need us to do?" Steve asked. Tony turned to him, his face determined. 

  "Suit up." 

 


	4. Update and Apology

So, I'd like to start off by saying I am so  _so_ sorry to those of you who have been following this work. I started this right before I made a big life change and that was a mistake. It was not cool of me to do this and then leave you hanging like that. As for the update, I made a big move to live with my family in Texas and this is a huge life change for me because I've literally lived my entire life in Kansas City with my family there. With this change came another new responsibility which is helping to take care of my one-year-old niece so that obviously doesn't leave me a lot of time to write. Because of this, along with the fact that I realized in the middle of writing chapter four that the way I wanted the villain to actually play out was not going to work with how I started things, I have decided to do a complete re-write of this story. I realize this means that it would take months of waiting and i am so sorry for those of you who read this and were enjoying it, but I really do like my idea and I want to do it true justice and not the half-assed stuff I've been putting out. That being said, I can tell you that the first chapter will likely remain mostly the same with a few tweaks to character relationships and certain story elements. Once again I'd like to apologize for leaving you all like this, but I didn't just want to leave you waiting for a story I don't have time to finish right now and I refuse to continue with how things are currently. Thanks so much for your support for the story, and I hope that when the re-write eventually starts getting published that you all do enjoy it! 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I'm struggling a bit with the beginning. I know it sucks but the thing is, I got the idea in my head and the only real thing I got from this is kinda how the character death happens and what happens afterwards. I might start work on a second chapter soon but IDK. Like I said this is my first Marvel fanfic and also my first multi-chapter fanfiction so I'm really REALLY sorry if it sucks! Feedback is welcomed and encouraged as long as it has something constructive to give me like suggestions on how to improve or even things that I can use to help move the story along! Kudos would also be welcomed and appreciated it! Anyways, enjoy!


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